A Busy Day with Our New Neighbors!

When our new/future neighbors asked us if we’d like to join them for a concert in Loudon Tennessee called “Groovin’ on Grove Street” we didn’t hesitate.  We were planning to go to the Mennonite Farmer’s Market in Delano Tennessee earlier on the Saturday in question, so we invited Sherry and Mike to join us on that local shopping experience.  They agreed, we grabbed our coolers and off we went!

We love visiting the Old Order Mennonite Farm and produce market at 146 Needle Eye Lane in Delano Tennessee.  The produce is fresh and organic too.  The men that operate the market dress in the plain style dictated by their beliefs.  The adult males all have beards.  On this occasion, I saw my first woman from the settlement.  She was restocking the section loaded with yummy baked goods.  Wagon drawn horses being used to transport produce and other products were tied up behind the market.  

  

We bought heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, cinnamon rolls, peach jam, cookies and homemade granola.  Mike and Sherry loaded up on fresh vegetables and they picked up a nice melon too!  Beets, beans, radishes, cucumbers, corn, cabbage, lettuce, bread, etc., etc. filled the shelves.  The place was packed!

FYI…Women are expected to dress modestly when visiting the market (covered shoulders and midriff.  Photos of the Mennonites are not permitted.

These fields are so productive!  Consider the fact that the market is open 6 days a week from late spring through late fall…and the produce and other products just keep coming!  To view more photos and to get a ‘feel’ for the place, go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mennonite-Farm-Market/1393772744176056 and/or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkksugDG1Tc.

Well…we had everything in coolers that needed to be protected from the heat.  We’d worked up an appetite so what to do next?!  We cut across on some local roads and made our way to the town of Tellico Plains in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.  Destination…Tellico Grains Bakery!

This family run enterprise has been in business here since 2003 and they are definitely successful!   In addition to their breads and a wide selection of sweet rolls, cookies, etc. Tellico Grains Bakery makes top notch sandwiches and what Laurie and I believe to be the best thin crust pizza in East Tennessee!  Laurie and I shared this beauty…loaded with pepperoni and Benton’s sausage.  FYI, Tellico Grains bake their Pizza’s in a wood fired brick oven.

Mike and Sherry shared a sandwich…but Mike took his experience one step further.  He ordered a dessert too!  As he stated at the time (and since), he’d make the 35 minute drive from home just to buy and revel in another slice of this peaches and cream cheesecake...made with fresh peaches!

Tellico Grains Bakery is located at 105 Depot Street in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Phone: 423-253-6911.  You can find their website complete with photos and a video at http://tellico-grains-bakery.com/.  The good news is that the Travel Channel video is little out of date.  As per the video, the bakery only makes pizzas on Saturdays… They now make pizzas Tuesdays through Saturdays.  They are open from 8 AM until 4 PM from February through late fall…

Finally…on to Groovin’ on Grove Street at 320 Grove Street in downtown Loudon Tennessee.  The action is focused around the Lyric Theatre.  First constructed ca. 1911, the Theatre was an important part of the community featuring not only movies but also local events.  Then it burned down in 1935 and reopening in 1935.  It may look really old, but the theater has been plagued with fire.  It burned down again in 1941 and was reopened in the mid-1950s.  The final movie was shown here in 1961. 

This is what the inside of the Lyric Theatre looks like now.  It was donated to the City of Loudon in the 1980's.  The Loudon Merchants and Property Owners Association is working to restore it… Bathrooms and a sprinkler system have been installed and the plan is to create a music and event venue that can seat up to about 160 patrons.

The action related to the Groovin’ on Grove Street musical series took place in the courtyard between the Lyric Theatre and the building next door.  I was told that the courtyard was set up for an audience of 210 but it could be expanded to about 240 seats. 

The natural amphitheater created by the brick walls on either side and the covered stage at the front provided great acoustics although it was a bit warm in the sun on this late June day.  I was told that future events (every Saturday during the summer) would start at 7 PM.  The walls on the right side of the photo have been covered with some colorful quality murals depicting some of the old classic movies and movie stars.

Admission to “Groovin’ on Grove Street” events is a very reasonable $10.00 per person.  This was the first day for this attraction and there were 4 different groups providing entertainment.  We just caught the last couple of songs by the Trent James Band.  They featured country, blues, Southern rock, Americana and rockabilly.  For more information on this band, go to https://www.facebook.com/trentjamesband/.

After a bit of a wait, as shown above, the Knoxville Transfer Band took the stage.  They featured classic hits from bands such as Chicago, the Blues Brothers, Motown, Van Morrison, etc.  Some of the vocals weren’t quite up to par but the music was all good and they were warmly greeted by the crowd.  To learn more about this band, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/KnoxvilleTransferBand/.

Considering that there were folks out on Grove Street and others taking advantage of the street side food vendors, this was a great crowd for a first time event of this type!  We left before the final 2 groups of the day made their appearance.  The sun was hot and the day had already been long… The acts we missed were By Grace, a gospel music group, and the Blair Experience, featuring jazz, blues and contemporary music.

On Saturday, June 30, Groovin’ on Grove Street featured the Bo Ashley Band.  The Trent James Band appears again on July 7.  Knoxville Transfer makes another appearance tomorrow, July 14.  On Saturday, July 21, the Blair Experience is on stage and, to round out July, gospel and bluegrass group Endless Highway will make an appearance.  We will definitely return for future performances!

We had a very nice day with Sherry and Mike our new or ‘soon to be’ neighbors.  If the weather will cooperate and we have some weather conducive for construction they may be able to move out of their rental and into their new home before Christmas!

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave